March 22, 2009

  • I often talk about certain places that I visit on a weekly basis.  I thought I would share some of those pictures with you in a blog so you may experience what it is I am talking about.

    Yesterday, I went to the casino that I often speak about.  It's Ho-Chunk Casino named for the tribe of Ho-Chunk which used to be named Winnebago but apparently the term Winnebago means smelly water so the people didn't want to be known as that. 
    I spent many nights at Ho-Chunk.  My dad worked there and when I worked in the tourist town I would hop aboard a shuttle bus to meet him so he could take me home.   Summers were great.  I'd work in the tourist town and go to the casino at night even though I was underage.  I walked around the casino floor and didn't have to provide ID because some of the guards knew me and they knew I wouldn't gamble but that I was there to meet my dad and drink free Coke products.  At age 18 I started playing the games, mostly slots because I didn't know any better.  But that summer they changed the age limit to 21 because they started serving alcohol so I couldn't play any more. 
    Well time passed and I turned 21 and I fell in love with the casino all over again because they remodeled and had new games such as poker, roulette, off-track horse betting, and craps.  They also had a new hotel, sports bar and restaurant connected with the casino.  The Stand Rock Buffet is named after the famous Stand Rock that the Ho-Chunk used for ceremonial purposes and a place that has since turned into a tourist attraction that used to feature men jumping the chasm and then dogs.  The sports bar is named Wo Zha Wa which means "have fun" in the Ho-Chunk language.  The most beautiful part of the remodeling is the indoor rock formations and waterfall and symbols of the Ho-Chunk nation that the escalator goes through to lead you to the bar and buffet. 
    So last night I had a meeting there and I have to be tight lipped as to the purpose.  I dined on the all you can eat prime rib buffet and then I took some photos.  It is casino policy not to allow cameras inside the building however I snuck in my camera.  It reminded me of a time when I was meeting my dad and one of the tribe members was sitting in the entrance way and he would say to the people entering, "on sar e mac de wolla".  When the people heard that they would ask what he was saying.  He would reply that he was wishing them good luck in Ho-Chunk.  The people would then smile and go lose their money.  I said he was full of it and he pointed to the door.  He was simply reading, "no cameras allowed" as he saw it because it was backwards on the inside.  Anyway all that being said, here are the pictures.

    This is the view standing near the bar.  Notice the escalator leading past the waterfall.

    This is the pond on one side of the escalator.

    This eagle carrying the fish is hanging from the ceiling and every so many minutes an eagle scream is emitted from speakers near this formation.  The fish will also wiggle from time to time.  It used to drop water when it wiggled but the water would land on the floor and was hazardous.

    This is from the side opposite the bar and the buffet.  Notice how small the people are.  It didn't turn out in these photos because a flash is useless because of the height but where the spotlights are is a little island where a bear is standing.

    The trees aren't real and I now realize I forgot to take photos of the mural.

    Here is some of the waterfall.

    I tried to show the escalator as well as the facade of Wo Zha Wa.  You may have to enlarge to see any people in those photos.

    These are some more of the eagle.  I couldn't get a good photo of it but in one of the trees there is a nest with some eggs in it.  Last night was the first night I ever noticed.

    This is the waterfall at ground level.

    The bear on the island.

    I am standing a few feet away from the escalator and I couldn't fit the whole thing in my view.  The attractive ladies were quite appreciative that I took their photo.

    Here are two views of the waterfall.  I took these photos from near the hotel check-in desk.  One is with flash and the other is without.

    The entrance way to the escalators.

    Well I thought I would share my horrible photograpy skills as well as some of the places I speak about quite frequently.  Next week I hope to have some pictures of the Old Baraboo Inn, the haunted bar of which I speak, and maybe some photos from the concert I am going to later on this week.

Comments (28)

  • Wow, that looks totally different to everything I had imagined! lol A very interesting place!

    I have a friend who can talk and sing backwards. It's quite crazy. lol  

  • geeez.. it's gorgeous.

  • Ooooo, that's pretty.

    And that's hilarious that he was just reading the sign backwards. Hahaha...

  • It'd be alot cooler if there were giant electronic dinosaurs on the side that attacked the eagles and made them drop their fish. Or dinosaurs that would annoy you when you lost at some game. Haha :)

    Nice pictures and post. I can't wait for your other post. I think I want to do a post like this some time :)

  • The only problem with casinos is that I feel like I smoked a carton of Lucky Strikes by spending an hour in one.

  • @nattata - 

    I hope it looks better than you imagined. Years ago it was just a bingo hall and discount tobacco shop and then there was a violent take over by a different group of Native Americans and they were running around with guns and shooting. the police couldn't step in to stop but they just blocked off traffic. It's come a long way. I need to try to sneak in my camera on the game floor.

    I am amazed by people that can do singing or reading backwards. I have struggles reading normally at times. Although reading upside down doesn't bother me.

  • @abcxunt - 

    Some of the tribal members say it better be gorgeous for all the money that they stuck into the remodeling and making the hotel.

  • @Shy___Away - 

    I have been saying I was going to get pictures for a long time but I never had the testicular fortitude to sneak my camera inside. Whenever I saw a security guard I quick pushed it in my hoodie pockets.

  • @godfatherofgreenbay - Yes a lot better! Usually casinos are a bit lame. lol Oh yes, take more sneaky photos!  

  • @its_me_katie - 

    The dinosaurs would be an awesome touch or maybe thunderbirds. There is a lake near the casino that is called Devil's Lake and that is where, according to tribal lore, where the battle of good and evil took place. They believe the eagles would pick up boulders that the wolves and other evil creatures scratched off the bluff wall that surrounds the lake and drop the boulders on the evil creatures. Once they were weakened the eagles swept in and picked up the evil and dropped it into the lake. It is their explanation for how many lives the lake has taken. You can see more here.

    Thanks for not bashing my photography. I get too shaky when I take pictures.

  • @ElevenStones - 

    This part of the casino doesn't have a lot of smoking but once you go into the gaming floor there are sections where smoke hangs like clouds. There is a section of the casino that is smoke free and cut off from the rest so it's not bad but I believe to get there you have to walk through some of the smoking section.

    I can't remember if there was smoking at Mystic Lake. It was so long ago that I was there. I know they sold tobacco inside but I don't remember seeing anyone using it except in the bingo hall.

  • @nattata - 

    Well that is great that I have shattered your view of casinos. They try to make this place classy but sometimes the clientele brings it down.

  • Wow, that place looks awesome!
    I'm excited for the Inn pictures, maybe you'll see something ghostly!

  • @CanadianConspiracy - 

    I already looked through those pictures and I didn't notice anything. When I first took one picture I thought I picked up something but upon further investigation we found out that this supposed orb was actually a place on the wall where the paint hadn't faded because it had been covered by a clock. The owner was looking and he was disappointed that I didn't capture something.

  • @godfatherofgreenbay - 

    aww, well maybe next time. I have a pic of a huge ghost orb thing from my trip to Mexico, maybe I should post it.

  • What a cool place to hang out. Great atmosphere!

  • it's amazing what you can do with gaming revenues. they have done something very similar at the "little river" casino in manistee, MI.

  • @Another_Perfect_Wonder - 

    Yeah, it's a nice play to go if you don't mind losing money. I try to avoid gambling unless I feel the roulette urge. They also have a ballroom which they use for concerts. I saw Frank Sinatra Jr. and George Carlin, god rest his smutty soul.

  • @droptop11 - 

    Many of the Midwestern casinos are starting to remodel so they can keep up with Vegas and actually have presentable establishments. One I went to during college out near Little House on the Prairie was a dump. It looked like a kindergarten designed the place and did the upkeep.

  • SO COOL.  EAT A HIT OF ACID AND WIG OUT.......AWSOME PLACE. I LOVE YOU STUFF ASS BITE!

  • @iliveinadream - 

    Yeah maybe if I was younger I would do that. In college friends drank bottles of Robotussin before heading to a casino. Those were some memorable experiences.

  • I wish I could check that place out... those pictures are amazing!

  • @Bobby - 

    Thanks, it is a fun place unless you want to win at gambling. Of course it is a casino and everything is in the house's favor.

  • @godfatherofgreenbay - 

    I haaaate losing money, though. I getting excited about gambling, but I always set a limit, and when that money is gone, I'm done! I like going to the track.

  • @Another_Perfect_Wonder - 

    I do the same. I hide my bank card and only walk in with my set amount of money. One of the last times I went, I had free play money from the casino for a birthday present and a reactivation of my club card. I used that in a few spins and was up $18. I went out to the valet parking and saw that my car was still waiting to be moved so I decided to go back and play slots. I lost all my money for that night because the valet department was going very slow.

  • @Another_Perfect_Wonder - 

    I had a religion professor in college that said that he would have more fun taking quarters and flushing them down his toilet than going to a smoke filled casino. My church body's stance on gambling changed after a professional gambler donated millions to the church. Before gambling was a sin and now it is OK as long as it can be controlled.

  • I dont suppose that lagoon is clean enough to swim in?

  • @theladyofabundance - 

    It is only about a foot deep. I wouldn't be surprised if people have tried but it seems like there is a constant security patrol near it on both floors.

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